Ram feeder for burning wood refuse



July 3, 1951 H. KREISINGER RAM FEEDER FOR BURNING WOOD REFUSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. l, 1946 if N N A E NCQ v /N VEA/TOR.

`MEN/@Y NRE/swan?, DECEASED July 3, 1951 H. KRx-:lslNGER RAM FEEDER FOR BURNING WOOD REFUSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l, 1946 /mw m INVENTOR HENRY mas/Nam, BY 05054550 Efgd TFOR EY Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATNT QFFICE RAM FEEDER FOR BURNING WOOD REFUSE Application August 1, 1946, Serial No. 687,646

6 Claims.

This invention relates to feeders and particularly to apparatus including rams for feeding wood chips and like material.

When material, such as wood chips or hogged wood, contained within a hopper drops in front of a ram to be forced from thebottom of the hopper into the xed opening of a conduit, the material frequently compresses and jams at the opening to the extent of stopping the ram and thereby causes the feeder to become inoperative unless excessive power is applied.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved feeding apparatus which will overcome the above mentioned diilbulty.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of an embodiment of the invention taken on line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a partial plan section taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a more detailed plan View of the new feeder mechanism taken on line 3-3 of each of Figs. 1 and 4.

Figure 4 is a more detailed sectional elevation of the same feeder mechanism taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a section showing further mechanism details as viewed from line 5-5-of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4 underneath the cover plate of the reciprocating ram.

The feeder comprises a hopper IIJ having its bottom outlet I I connected' to a conduit I2 which extends beneath the hopper bottom. Within the conduit I2 is a ram I3 connected by a piston rod I4 to a piston I5 within a cylinder I6 supplied with steam or other fluid under pressure for reciprocating the piston and ram. A bracket II is connected to the ram I3, projects from conduit I 2 and slideably engages a valve rod I8 operating the steam valve I9 in the usual way for controlling uid ow to the cylinder, valve rod I8 being provided with stops 26 and 2.I adjustably mounted on the rod 'to engage the bracket I'I. By adjustment of the stops 20, '2| along rod I8 the length of the ram stroke as well as its placement with respect to the hopper, may be controlled by controlling the timing of the valve movements.

To reduce the'friction and the wear the ram I 3 is preferably provided with rollers 22 (axes horizontal) which ride on the bottom of conduit I 2 to support the vertical load of the ramand rollers 23 (axesfvertical) which engage the side walls of the conduit to guide the horizontal movement of the ram through the conduit.

.In the retracted position Vofv ram I'3` the' mate rial, such as hoggedv wood drops from the hopper into the conduit I2 ahead of the ram. As the ram advances to the left the material is put under pressure to force it through the throat 24 in conduit I2. It has been found that if material such as hogged wood is being moved and if the throat 24 has a fixed jaw at the top as has been the practice heretofore, the material will compress under and in front of the jaw and soon stop the advancing movement of the ram entirely. Undoubtedly thev power for pushing the ram could be increased and the conduit made strong enough to force the material through throat 24, but this is uneconomical and undesirable.

According to the invention the throat 24 is provided with a yielding roller 25 which is biased to its lowest position by adjustable springs 26, there being one such spring symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of conduit I2; Each spring has its upper end bearing against a xed bracket 21 (attached to stationary framework in any suitable manner'as via welds shown at'21 inFigs. 4-5) and its lower end bearing against a washer and nut 28 mounted on bolt 29, which in turn is fastened to lever 30 by pin 3|. Each lever 38 has a fulcrum 32` and roller 25 is journaled on the levers 3U through the medium cf a carrying shaft 3-3 attached to those levers (see Figs. 3-4-5) at its two ends via brackets 33" andfextending therebetween. A second non-yielding roller 34 is journaled in bearings 35 which are mounted one on each opposite side of conduit I2. Adjacent roller 34 and extending in the direction of material flow through thev conduit I2 toward the elbow 36 of the conduit is a plate 3'! adjustably mounted by means of bolts 39A and nuts 33y to fixed angles 4I) which plate forms the top wall of the conduit. The rollers 2'5 and 34 thus'll a gap in the top of the conduit between the forward side of hopper I0 and the plate 3'Iy that constitutes the top of the conduit from the roller 34 to elbow 36. The rear end of said plate 3l is spaced close to the roller 34 and just above the horizontal tangent to the roller bottom. The front end of the plate is spaced from the top side 4I of the elbow 36 to permit buckling of the fuel as it turns up in the elbow. Elbow 36 receives the material from the end of conduit I2 and conducts it upwardly into the furnace 42 whence it forms a conical pile which overflows on to the grates 43 adjacent the outlet'from elbow 36.

In operation, as the ram I3 is retracted, material flows from the hopper I6 into conduit I2 ahead of the ram. The advancing ram I3 then pushes the material intothe throat 24 of conduit I2. As the material compresses at the throat 24 and tends to jam up against the shoulder where the conduit I2 and hopper side 49 meet, the roller 25 which now forms the shoulder, yields upwardly and at the same time rotates, thereby preventing the excessive jamming of the material which heretofore occurred and actually stalled the ram. The material is thence pushed through conduit I2, which is constructed to have an expanding cross section in the direction of material flow, and arrives at the elbow 36. As the material is forced through the elbow 36 around the curve, it is permitted, according to the invention, to buckle or expand toward the inner radius of the elbow where empty space has been provided by the adjustment of the plate 31. As a consequence, the resistance to flow of the material through the elbow is substantially reduced when compared to an elbow without such provisions.

What is claimed is:

. 1. In feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward filling into a given portion of the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given .conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of aforesaid material illls from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and durinlr each forward stroke the ram pushes that material vfrom beneath the hopper on into the conduit and toward said point of delivery, a roller forming the juncture of the hopper side that is towards said point of delivery and the conduit top beneath which the material is forced by the ram during said forward strokes thereof, and resilient mounting means for said roller serving to urge same against the said material passing thereunder into the conduit ahead of the ram and allowing that passing material to move the roller upwardly as the configuration of the material may require for relatively easy entry thereof into the conduit beyond the ram, said mounting means being further effective to establish for the roller a lowern most position that leaves beneath the roller an area of conduit cross section which is substantially less than the conduit cross section beyond the roller in the direction of said delivery point whereby material pushed under the roller in the manner aforesaid enters an area of conduit cross section suciently large to minimize jamming of the material in the conduit portion so entered.

2. InV feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward filling into a given portion of the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of the aforesaid material fills from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and during each forward stroke the ram pushes that material from beneath the hopper on into the conduit and toward said point of delivery, rollers mounted on the ram and engaging the base and sides of the conduit to guide theAram therein during its aforesaid strokes of travel, a further roller forming the juncture of the hopper side that is towards said point of delivery and the conduit top beneath which the material is forced by the ram during said forward strokes thereof, and resilient mounting means for said further roller serving to urge same against the said material passing thereunder into the conduit ahead of the ram and allowing that passing material to move the roller upwardly as the configuration of the material may require for relatively easy entry into the conduit beyond the ram, said mounting means also being effective to establish for said further roller a lowermost position that leaves beneath the roller an area of conduit cross section which is substantially less than the conduit cross section beyond the roller in the direction of said delivery point whereby material pushed under the roller in the manner aforesaid enters an area of conduit cross section suiiiciently large to minimize jamming of the material in the conduit portion so entered.

3. In feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said Conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward lling into a given portion of the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring`strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of the aforesaid material fills from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and during each forward stroke the ram pushes that material from beneath the hopper or into the conduit and towards said point of delivery, a roller forming the juncture of the hopper side that is toward said point of delivery and the conduit top beneath which the material is forced by the ram during said forward strokes thereof, mounting means for said roller, eifective to allow same to beV moved up and down above a lowermost position, and spring means effective to urge the roller towards said lowermost position against the said material passing thereunder into the conduit ahead of the ram but allowing that passing material to displace the roller upwardly' as the configuration of the material may require for relatively easy passage beneath the roller, said lowermost position for the roller being selected to leave therebeneath an area of conduit cross section which is substantially less than the conduit cross section beyond the roller in the direction of said delivery point whereby material pushed under the roller in the manner aforesaid enters an area of conduit cross section sufficiently large to minimize jamming of the material in the conduit portion so entered.

l4. In feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward filling into a given portion of the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of the aforesaid material fills from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and during each forward stroke the ram pushes that fuel from beneath the Vhopper on into the conduit and toward said point of delivery,

a first roller forming the juncture of the hopper side that is towards said point of delivery and the conduit top beneath which the material is forced by the ram during said forward strokes thereof, resilient mounting means for said first roller serving to urge same against the said material passing thereunder into the conduit ahead of the ram and allowing that passing material to move the roller upwardly as the configuration of the material may require for relatively easy entry thereof into the conduit beyond the ram, said mounting` means being further effective to establish for the first roller a lowermost Iposition which leaves therebeneath an area of conduit cross section that is substantially less than the conduit cross section beyond the roller in the direction of said delivery point whereby material pushed under the roller in the manner aforesaid enters an area of conduit cross section sufficiently large to minimize jamming of the material in the conduit portion so entered, and a second roller constituting a part of the conduit top beyond the said first roller in the direction of said delivery point and there xedly journaled in a position somewhat higher than that of the first roller whereby to provide for the material entering said enlarged conduit area following passage beneath said first roller a top rolling guide which further reduces the friction of said entry.

5. In feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward delivery into a given portion of the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of the aforesaid material lls from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and during each forward stroke the ram pushes that material from beneath the hopper on into the conduit and toward said point of delivery, an elbow receiving the material from said conduit and transmitting same to said point of delivery, a first roller forming the juncture of the hopper side that is towards said elbow and the conduit top beneath which the material is forced by the ram during said forward strokes thereof, resilient mounting means for said first roller serving to urge same against the said material passing thereunder into the conduit ahead of the ram and allowing that passing material to move the roller upwardly as the configuration of the material may require, said mounting means being further effective to establish for the first roller a lowermost position which leaves therebeneath an area of conduit cross section that is substantially less than the conduit cross section beyond the roller in the direction of said elbow whereby material pushed under the roller in the manner aforesaid enters an area of conduit cross 6 section sufficiently large to minimize jamming of the material in the conduit portion so entered, a second roller constituting a part of the conduit top beyond said first roller in direction of said elbow and there flxedly journaled in a position somewhat higher than that of the first roller, and a plate constituting the remainder of the conduit top between said second roller and said elbow, said plate being in substantially tangential alignment at one end with the bottom of said second roller and having its other end adjustable up or down with respect to the side of said elbow that has the smaller radius.

6. In feeder apparatus for handling material typified by fuel in the form of wood chips and the like, the combination of a conduit for conducting said material to a point of delivery, a hopper communicating with said conduit and adapted to hold a supply of the aforesaid material in readiness for downward filling into a given portion oi' the conduit, a ram disposed within the said given conduit portion, means for reciprocating said ram through recurring strokes of forward and rearward travel whereby during each rearward stroke some of the aforesaid material fills from the hopper into the conduit ahead of the ram and during each forward stroke the ram pushes that fuel from beneath the hopper on into the conduit and toward said point of delivery, material guide means including a roller constituting a part of the conduit top beneath which the material is forced yby the ram during said forward strokes thereof, said roller being there flxedly journaled with its bottom at least as high as the top of said ram, an up turned elbow at the discharge end of the said conduit for conveying said material to said point of delivery, a plate constituting the remainder of the conduit top between said roller and the side of said elbow that has the smaller radius, and mounting means for said plate effective to hold the roller end thereof in substantially tangential alignment with the bottom of said roller and to permit the other end of the plate to be adjusted up or down with respect to the top wall of said adjoining elbow side into a selected position which is below that top entrance Wall of the elbow and which permits the said material in moving beyond the plate end to expand within the elbow and thereby minimize jamming during passage therethrough.

ELLA MARTHA KREISINGER, Eecutri of the Estate of the Late Henry Kreisz'nyer.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 931,536 WeilandV Aug. 17, 1909 1,348,659 Nicholson Aug. 3, 1920 1,958,641 Roberts May 15, 1934 1,988,510 Preston Jan. 22, 1935 

